Melania Trump is famous for being the wife of one of the most satirised, derided and caricatured leaders of recent times. She is also famous for being the immigrant trophy wife of a rich older man. More recently, she has become the butt of jokes herself for plagiarising the speech of her predecessor and for refusing to hold her husband’s hand; even slapping it away. But what do we really know about Melania Trump, first lady of the United States?
She is the first FLOTUS to have been born and raised in a country other than the United States; more particularly in communist Yugoslavia. She has studied design and architecture and speaks several languages. She met Donald Trump when she came to the United States to be a model. She is also the first third wife to be in the White House.
She allegedly worked illegally in the US for a time. Before she received her H-1B work visa, she worked on several paid modeling assignments. It is not clear how she got her green card either. Scandal sheets also breathlessly reported on some nude photos that she had shot in the past during her stint as a model.
At the time that Donald Trump won the presidential race, the media speculated about her being disappointed with the verdict. For a time it was thought likely that she would remain in New York and not join her husband in the White House when he assumed charge.
Trump has made numerous public comments that can be described only as misogynistic and degrading to women. Additionally, he has also been caught boasting about getting away with sexual assault on the Hollywood Access tapes. He has been embroiled in public controversies such as paying porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an affair he had with her while still being married to Melania. He has also been sued by numerous women for sexual misconduct. Being Melania Trump is humiliating at the best of times. When she is the cynosure of all eyes as FLOTUS, it must be even more so.
At the inauguration ball, the body language of the first couple appeared strained and stiff. When Melania and Trump visited the Obamas at the White House, Trump was widely criticised for his poor manners in leaving his wife to fend for herself. On various occasions Trump has tried to hold his wife's hand in public only to be rebuffed.
Melania does seem to have the sympathy of a lot of people who feel that she is caught up; even trapped in a situation not of her own making. Social media trends such as #FreeMelania, #SadMelania and #SaveMelania seem to point to the fact that many have great sympathy for any woman married to someone like Trump; though others feel that she is complicit in the situation.
Now, more than a year into the Trump tenure, Melania seems to have overcome some of her reserve. Earlier, she would be absent from some official functions and also nowhere to be seen during the President's famous holidays and golf getaways at Mar-a-Lago. She is now seen at more public events and is seen to be shedding her image as a private person thrust willy-nilly into the limelight. The couple still has separate schedules and bedrooms. Clearly, Melania seems to be making an effort on the public front. Perhaps, it is beyond human expectation and endurance that she do the same on the personal front as well?
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